Tae Dnear'/Dante C

Grind

Trapper Ant/Antonio H

Problems

King Swyft/Malik W

Damage

The6ithSage/Martin M

Tear Me Down

Ray Royalty/Marcus B

Told Me Ima Fail

D'Amonie/Damon G

Man of the House

RB Vic/Victor B

President's Day

Big Mack/Maquian J

Trynna Make It

Marcel Xander/Marcellis J

Icon Stamina

El' Bang/Elliott B

For Me

Richie Buz/Richard N

Big Meech Big Pharma

Brenton Levy/Brenton L

Gone

Josh E/Joshua E

Flex w/ Young Dre

The Live Event.

The eight artists who make it to the finals will be judged live by top music industry professionals. Finalists should be prepared to perform as many as four original songs as they advance through the rounds.

Mc

DJ Bizzon

DJ Bizzon is one of the Midwest’s most sought-after DJs. He’s opened for Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Khalid, Travis Scott, Pitbull, ?uestlove and many more. Bizzon is an on-air personality and Education Director at 88NINE Radio Milwaukee and a member of Vocalo Radio’s DJ collective on WBEZ 91.1FM in Chicago. He founded The Scratch Sessions, a program providing free DJ and music production lessons, career training and mentorship to young Milwaukeeans.

Judge

WebsterX

Sam Ahmed, also known as WebsterX, is an award-winning songwriter and recording artist who has received national attention for his style that experiments with elements of hip-hop/rap, indie rock and electronic. Spreading positivity through his community, he is a co-founder of a creative focused, youth organization called Freespace and a board member of an all ages hub and music venue called The New State.

Judge

Dj Loop

Nelly Vigil (AKA DJ Loop) is a Mexican-born, Milwaukee-based DJ known for her eclectic music selection, technical skill and connecting with a crowd. She hosts her own live on-air radio show, Fresh & Direct, Milwaukee’s longest running Independent Hip Hop radio show on WMSE 91.7FM. As co-instructor of Scratch Sessions South, her goal is to inspire other female DJs and help pave a wider path for women in Hip Hop.

Judge

Ishdarr

IshDARR is determined to put Milwaukee on the worldwide music map. His career began to gain steam with the 2014 release of his “The Better Life” EP, and the following year, his first full-length mixtape, “Old Soul, Young Spirit” led to work with A-list producers and artists, as well as a yearlong tour of the US and Europe. Now just 22, IshDARR has already opened for Schoolboy Q on his world tour, headlined at Summerfest and landed a role in the 2018 film ‘White Boy Rick.

Voting Ends September 20Th

Vote for your favorite artist, then come back on October 2nd to see who makes it to the finals.

8/15Call For Entries

9/2Entries Due

9/4Voting Begins

9/20Voting Ends

10/2Finalists Announced

Mpl Live Rap Battle

Thursday, October 17th

X Close

MPL Live Rap Battle Contest

​No purchase necessary to enter or win.

​Do not enter this contest if you do not reside in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Entry into this contest constitutes your acceptance of these Official Rules. Contest is void outside of the Milwaukee County, Wisconsin and where prohibited by law. Contest is governed by U.S. law and is subject to all federal, state and local laws and regulations.

​Contest Period:

Round 1: Entry submission begins at 12:01 am Central Time (“CT”) on August 14, 2019 and ends at 11:59 pm CT on September 2, 2019. Limit one (1) entry per person.

Round 2: Top 15 entries (i.e., semi-finalists) will be determined by a panel of judges on September 3, 2019.

Round 3: Public voting will be available at MPLRapBattle.com between 12:01 am CT on September 4, 2019 and 11:59 pm CT on September 20, 2019. The votes received will qualify for up to 34% in the judging criteria. Judges will determine the 8 finalists on or about September 21, 2019. See judging details in Section 7 (below) for additional details.

Round 4: All 8 finalists will be required to create four (4) songs in mp3 format and submit all four (4) performance track version of the songs to DJ Bizzon at djbizzon@gmail.com by 11:59 pm CT on October 14, 2019. Finalists may be required to attend an interview and/or photo session on September 24, 2019 or September 25, 2019.

Round 5: All 8 finalists will be required to perform up to four (4) songs at a live event on October 17, 2019. The times and date of event are subject to change at Sponsor’s sole discretion.

Eligibility: Contest is open to the legal residents of the United States or the District of Columbia age between 16 and 21 who reside in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Employees, officers, and directors of Milwaukee Public Library (the “Sponsor”), Ventura Associates International LLC (“Contest Administrator”), and any of their respective parent organizations, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, distributors or any other individual or company involved in the development or execution of the Contest (collectively the “Contest Parties”), and members of their immediate families (parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses) and same households of each, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win.

​Contest Objective: The objective of this Contest is to encourage young rising rappers to create an original song. The song must be minimum of 3 minutes and maximum of 3.5 minutes in length. The entrant must be the songwriter and must be the person performing or singing the song. Though the song and singing must be done by the entrant, the entrant can be a solo artist or part of a duo or group. Please refer to the “How to Enter” Section 6 below for further instructions.If competing as a duo or group, the duo or group cannot exceed five (5) members and each member must meet the eligibility requirements of these Official Rules and one member of the duo or group must be designated as the “Representative” who will be the contact person for purposes of this Contest. Once a duo or group has been established/submitted, no member substitution will be permitted. Hereinafter, any solo artist, duo or group will be referred to as “Entrant.” An Entrant cannot participate in more than one (1) Entry.

​How to Enter: To enter Contest, Entrant must:

Round 1:

create an original song;

​record or film yourself performing the song

​upload your video or audio onto YouTube or Vimeo or SoundCloud (follow instructions provided on YouTube or Vimeo or SoundCloud on how to upload the video or audio including creating a free account if you do not have it already);

after you have successfully uploaded the video or audio on YouTube or Vimeo or SoundCloud, copy the URL of your video or audio and paste it on the appropriate field at MPLRapBattle.com; and

​fill-in your contact information including the name of your song on the entry form (points 1-5 herein are collectively referred to hereafter as your “Entry”) and click Submit.Your audio or video should not exceed 3.5 minutes in length. If your audio or video is more than 3.5 minutes, only the first 3.5 minutes of your video or audio will be judged. By submitting your Entry, you agree that Sponsor has no obligation to post or publish your Entry and can take down any Entry at any time for any reason, that all such postings or publication, if any, will be in Sponsor’s sole discretion and that the posting or publication of an Entry does not guarantee the Entry will be selected as the winning entry. Entries that do not include all required information and do not adhere to the foregoing and following requirements will be considered void. Limit one (1) Entry per Entrant in Round 1.

Additional Requirements: Once you complete and submit your Entry, your Submission is final and will not be modified or edited. If the submitted Entry does not have the video or audio from YouTube, Vimeo or SoundCloud (i.e., the provided URL is incorrect or the video or audio is removed by YouTube, Vimeo or SoundCloud for any reason whatsoever), the Entry will be disqualified or updated at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Entries that contain inappropriate content, including but not limited to vulgarity, obscenity, lewd, pornographic or violent material, or materials which promote violence, or if found to contain trademarked or copyrighted material that you do not have permission to use, such Entry will be disqualified at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Entries that do not comply with the specifications stated in these Official Rules or any other requirements stated herein will not be accepted and/or will result in disqualification, in Sponsor’s sole discretion. Entrants are subject to all notices posted online including but not limited to privacy policy. All Entries will not be returned or acknowledged. Sponsor is not responsible for corrupted, lost, late, inaccurate entry information, incomplete or misdirected (whether human or technical error) Entries.

Conditions of Entry: By submitting an Entry, each Entrant warrants and represents that the Entry:

is original and has been legally created by Entrant and s/he is the Entrant in the video/audio;

has not been copied in whole or in part from any other work;

does not infringe the intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights or any other legal or moral rights of any third party;

as not been entered in or won previous contests or awards; and

has not been published or distributed previously in any media.

Each Entrant, including a duo’s or group’s Representative, represents that he/she owns all rights to his/her Entry, including, without limitation, the lyrics and the copyrights in the performance contained therein. Entrant further represents and warrants that the Entrant or a duo’s or group’s Representative, has obtained permission from each person (e.g., group members) whose name, image, likeness or voice ("Likeness") is included in the Entry, and that such person(s) have granted Entrant all necessary rights to use the person's Likeness as described in these Official Rules, and that Entrant can make written copies of such permissions available to the Sponsor upon request. If the Likeness of a minor is included, such grant of rights must include written permission from the minor's parent or legal guardian authorizing the use of the minor's Likeness on behalf of the minor. Each Entrant retains ownership of the Entry, however, by entering, Entrant and any Third Party Participants, grants the Sponsor, and its affiliates, legal representatives, assigns, agents and licensees, the unconditional and perpetual right and permission to reproduce, encode, edit, store, record, distribute, merchandise, license, sublicense, adapt and/or modify, copy, transmit, publish, post, broadcast, display, publicly perform, adapt, exhibit and/or otherwise use or reuse (without limitation as to when or to the number of times used), the Entrant's Entry, including, but not limited to, the recording and the performances contained therein (in each case, as submitted or as edited/modified in any way by the Sponsor or its agents, in their sole discretion), as well as to use Entrant's name, likeness, photograph, and/or statements regarding his/her participation in this Contest (with or without using the Entrant's name) in any and all media without limitation as to time or territory, and without additional compensation, notification, permission or approval from the Entrant or any other party. Entrant waives intellectual property rights, privacy/publicity rights or other legal or moral rights that might preclude the Sponsor's or its agents use of the Entry, and agrees not to sue or assert any claim against the Sponsor or its agents for the use of the Entry or Entrant's likeness or statements. Entries will not be acknowledged and will not be received or held “in confidence” and an Entry does not create a confidential relationship or obligation of secrecy between Entrant and Sponsor or any of its respective affiliates or subsidiaries. Furthermore, Entrant acknowledges and agrees that Sponsor may receive many Entries in this Contest and that such other entries may be similar or identical in theme, idea, format or other respects to Entrant’s Entry and Entrant waives any and all claims Entrant may have had, may have, and/or may have in the future that any composition, other entries, and/or ideas accepted, reviewed and/or used by the Sponsor, the Judges and their affiliates, or their respective officers, directors, employees and agents may be similar to or the same as his/her Entry.

​Judging

Round 2:All eligible Entries received will be judged by a panel of judges from the Sponsor, music industry professionals and DJ Bizzon from 88Nine Radio Milwaukee to determine the top 15 semi-finalists. Judges decisions are final and binding and will be based on the following judging criteria: i) lyricism 33%; ii) subject matter 33%; and iii) overall song quality 34%. The Sponsor reserves the rights to determine less than 15 qualified semi-finalists.

In the event of a tie, the Entrant (from among the tied Entries) with the highest score for lyricism will advance to Round 3. In the event of a further tie, the tied Entries with the highest score for suitability for subject matter will advance to Round 3.

Round 3:
All semi-finalists Entries will be posted on MPLRapBattle.com (“Website”) for public voting starting 12:01 am CT on September 4, 2019. Each visitor to the Website will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite Entry. Each voter can vote only one (1) Entry in this Contest. Voting generated by script, macro or other automated means, or with the intent to impair the integrity of the rating process, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, will be void (all votes are subject to verification).

The votes received by 11:59 pm CT on September 20, 2019 will qualify for up to 34% in the judging criteria in this round. The Sponsor and DJ Bizzon will determine the eight (8) finalists based on the following judging criteria: lyricism/subject matter 33%; quality of song 33%; and fan votes 34%.

In the event of a tie in Round 3, the Entrant (from among the tied Entrants) with the highest score for lyricism will advance to Round 4. In the event of a further tie, the Entrant among tied Entrants with the highest score for quality of song will advance to Round 4.

Round 4:
All eight (8) finalists will be required to create four (4) songs in mp3 format and submit the performance track version of the songs to DJ Bizzon at djbizzon@gmail.com by 11:59 pm CT on October 14, 2019. Finalist can submit the same song provided in Round 1 as one of the four (4) songs. Each song must be at a minimum of 3 minutes and maximum of 3.5 minutes. The songs submitted in this round will not be judged but will be reviewed for content. If the content is not suitable, the finalist has to submit an updated song. In the event any finalist is not able to submit four (4) songs by the deadline stated, or unable to attend Round 5 performance, or does not respond and/or return any required paperwork mandated by the Sponsor by the date given, he/she will be disqualified and if time permits the next highest scorer will be notified at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. The Sponsor reserves the rights to advance less than eight (8) qualified finalists to Round 5.

Round 5:
All eight (8) finalists will be required to perform up to four (4) songs submitted in Round 4 at a live event. All finalists will battle out with their performances according to the stages mentioned below. No show finalist or finalist who arrives after the allocated time slot for the performance, will automatically forfeits the rights to participate and deemed disqualified at Sponsor’s sole discretion.

Stage 1 –
All eight (8) finalists will need to perform live one of the four songs he/she created. Each live performance will be judged on the quality of the song (0-33 points), the quality of the performance (0-33 points) and the crowd’s reaction to the performance (0-34 points), with a max score being 100 points. The four (4) finalists with the highest score at the conclusion of Stage 1 will advance on to Stage 2 of the Contest.

Stage 2 –
The qualified four (4) finalists will need to perform another original song from the four songs submitted in Round 4. (Finalists cannot repeat the same song performed in Stage 1.) All finalist performances in Stage 2 will be judged using the same judging criteria used in Stage 1. Two (2) finalists with the highest score at the conclusion of Stage 2 will move on to the final stage of the Contest.

Final Stage –
The qualified two (2) finalists will need to perform the remaining two original songs. (Finalists cannot repeat the same song performed in Stage 1 and 2.) All finalist performances during the Final Stage will be judged using the same judging criteria used in Stage 1 and 2. At the end of the Final Stage, the finalist with the higher score after both performances will be declared the First Place winner and the remaining finalist will be declared a Second Place winner.

Notification:

​All top 15 Entrants will be notified via email on or about September 3, 2019 and are requested to confirm their eligibility within 24 hours of notification to compete further. Failure to confirm his/her eligibility within 24 hours will cause a delay in having his/her Entry posted on the Website for voting in Round 3, or result in disqualification and the next highest scorer will be notified at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. If an alternate Top 15 Entrant is notified, he/she understands and agrees to have his/her Entry posted on the Website for voting after he/she confirms his/her eligibility; and further understands the voting period for his/her Entry will be shorter than 17 days during Round 3 of the Contest. Notification will be sent from Ventura Associates International LLC.

​The eight (8) finalists advancing to the final three stages of the Contest will be notified on or about September 21, 2019 and will be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability/Publicity Release (“Affidavit”) as well as any other documents which may be required by Sponsor, all of which must be received fully-executed within three (3) days of date printed on notification or that finalist may be disqualified and the finalist with the next highest score will be notified at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. If a finalist is a duo or group, all required documents will be submitted to the designated Representative who will be responsible for distributing, collecting and submitting all required documents for verification.

If a finalist is a minor, all required documents must be signed by the finalist’s parent/legal guardian on finalist behalf. The parent or legal guardian must accompany a finalist who is a minor to any performance and travel related contest activities. In the event it is determined that any Entrant, including any semi-finalist, finalist or a duo’s or group’s Representative, has not complied with these Official Rules and/or has made false statements, then such Entrant will be disqualified. Entry and/or acceptance of prize constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) to use each finalist’s name, entry, hometown, likeness, prize won, video and photograph (all at Sponsor’s sole discretion) for future advertising and publicity without additional compensation. The Sponsor reserves the right to: advance any semi-finalist or finalist, or cancel the live performance and/or not award any prize if, in its sole and absolute discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Entries or feels finalists fail to meet the necessary performing standards that merits an award.

​Prizes:
One First Place winner will receive $1,000 and an opportunity to perform on 88nine’s 414Live.
One Second Place winner will receive $500.
Each prize does not include any transportation, accommodations, parking, outfit or makeup. Total prize value will be awarded: $1,500. Prize money will be awarded in the form of a corporate check. The opportunity to perform on 88nine or a radio show is subject to availability and may not be awarded if it is not available. Prizes are non-assignable and non-transferable. No substitutions are permitted except by the Sponsor who reserves the right to substitute a prize or portion of any prize with a comparable prize. First Place winner or his/her parent/legal guardian if First Place winner is a minor, will be required to furnish his/her Social Security number to Contest Administrator as a condition of receiving the $1,000 prize, and an IRS Form 1099 will be filed in the name of the winner. All fees, federal, state, local or other expenses relating to the use, acceptance and possession of prize are the winner’s sole responsibility.

​Releases: BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS CONTEST, EACH ENTRANT (AND, IF ENTRANT IS A MINOR, HIS/HER PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN) ACCEPT ALL RISK AND CONSEQUENCES OF ENTRY AND PARTICIPATION IN THIS CONTEST AND AGREE TO RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS THE SPONSOR, YOUTUBE, VIMEO, SOUNDCLOUD AND ALL ENTITIES INVOLVED IN THE CONTEST (“PROMOTIONAL PARTIES”) AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, SHAREHOLDERS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES, AGENTS, SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS FROM ANY AND ALL CONSEQUENCES, LIABILITY, LOSSES, DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTIAL, SPECIAL OR INCREASED DAMAGES AND THOSE RELATED TO PERSONAL INJURY, DEATH OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY) AND COSTS AND EXPENSES, OF ANY KIND, UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THIS CONTEST, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO YOUR ENTRY AND PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST, THE ACCEPTANCE AND/OR USE (OR MISUSE) OF PRIZE (IF ENTRANT IS DEEMED A FIRST OR SECOND PRIZE WINNER), PRINTING ERRORS AND ANY CLAIMS BASED UPON THE RIGHTS OF PUBLICITY AND INVASION OF PRIVACY, CLAIMS FOR TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT, COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT EVEN IF ONE OR MORE OF THE PROMOTION PARTIES OR ANY OF THE OTHER RELEASED PARTIES WERE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY SUCH CONSEQUENCES, LOSSES, DAMAGES, ETC. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, ENTRANT (AND, IF ENTRANT IS A MINOR, HIS/HER PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN) FURTHER AGREES THAT NEITHER SPONSOR NOR ITS AFFILIATES, PRIZE SUPPLIER(S), AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, SHAREHOLDERS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES, ARTISTS, AGENTS, SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS, SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, LOSSES, COSTS OR EXPENSES, OF ANY KIND, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND THE REASONABLE CONTROL OF SPONSOR, PROMOTIONAL PARTIES OR THEIR AFFILIATES, PRIZE SUPPLIERS, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ACTS OF GOD, ACTS OF GOVERNMENT, ACTS OF TERROR, ACTS OF WAR, CIVIL UNREST, LABOR SHORTAGES AND/OR STRIKES, EVEN IF ANY ONE OR MORE OF THE PROMOTION PARTIES OR ANY OF THE OTHER RELEASED PARTIES WERE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY SUCH EVENTS OCCURING.

​General: Contest Parties are not responsible for any electronic transmission errors resulting in omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operations or transmission, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or alterations of Entry materials, or for technical, network, telephone equipment, electronic, computer, hardware or software malfunctions or limitations of any kind, or inaccurate transmissions of or failure to receive Entry information by Contest Parties on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet, or at any website or any combination thereof or for any injury or damage to a Entrant’s or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from downloading and/or uploading Contest materials. If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, lack of eligible Entries or qualified performances in the final stages of the Contest, or any other causes beyond the control of the Sponsor which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, the Sponsor reserves the right to withdraw or cancel the Contest and may or may not determine the semi-finalists, or finalists from all eligible Entries receive prior to withdrawal or cancellation. The Sponsor reserves the right to permanently disqualify any Entrant it believes has intentionally violated these Official Rules or tampers or is suspected of tampering with the entry process. Caution: Any attempt by a Entrant to deliberately damage any website, including but not limited to, the Website, or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and or other relief from any such Entrant to the fullest extent of the law.

In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of an Entrant, the dispute will be resolved in favor of the individual who is the "authorized e-mail account holder" of the email address provided on the Entry Form. "Authorized email account holder" is defined as the natural person assigned an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (i.e., business, education institution) responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

​Arbitration and Choice of Law: Except where prohibited by law, as a condition of participating in this Contest Entrant agrees that (1) any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by final and binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and held at the AAA regional office nearest the Entrant; (2) the Federal Arbitration Act shall govern the interpretation, enforcement and all proceedings at such arbitration; and (3) judgment upon such arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Under no circumstances will Entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and Entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys' fees, other than Entrant's actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with entering this Contest), and Entrant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of Entrants and Sponsor in connection with this Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the substantive laws of the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Confidentiality and Privacy Policy: By entering this Contest, any personal information you provide to Sponsor will be subject to Milwaukee Public Library’s policy.

This Contest is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by YouTube, Vimeo or SoundCloud, nor are YouTube, Vimeo or SoundCloud associated with the Contest in any way. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding this Contest must be directed to Sponsor and not to YouTube, Vimeo or SoundCloud.

The Rules.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY FOR THE MPL LIVE RAP BATTLE

- You must be between 16-21 years of age and a Milwaukee county resident.

- You must submit a YouTube or Vimeo video or Soundcloud link of your original song (3.5 minutes max) at www.mplrapbattle.com

- Song must be family friendly (clean for radio play and no derogatory language)

- Judged on overall song quality, lyricism and subject matter

- NOTE: if you make it to the battle rounds, you'll have to perform up to four original songs live at the event

VOTING ON THE TOP 15 SUBMISSIONS, 9/4-9/20

- The top 15 will be selected from all eligible submissions and advance to the next contest round. The public can vote for who they want to make the final 8.

- Voting is open from 9/4 - 9/20

- Scoring is based on: 33% lyricism, 33% quality of song and 34% fan vote

- The 8 with highest score will make it into the battle on Thursday, Oct 17th.

THE FINAL 8

- If you're selected to participate in the battle rounds you will be notified by email or phone on the afternoon Saturday, 9/21.

- On 9/24 or 9/25, you'll need to go to Mitchell Street Library to fill out the necessary paperwork, show proof of age/residency, shoot headshots and film a 30-second promo video. No show may be disqualified.

The Battle -Thursday, October 17thCENTRAL LIBRARY, 5:30PM START TIME

Participants need to arrive at Central Library by 4pm to register and for soundcheck.All songs files must be MP3s and will need to be sent to DJ Bizzon in advance.

The battle will consist of three rounds:

Round 1 - All 8 finalists will perform one song each. Song can be a maximum of 3.5 minutes long. Finalists will be judged on the quality of the song (33%), the quality of the performance (33%) and the crowd reaction (34%). The four with the highest score will move on to the second round.

Round 2 - The top 4 will perform one song each. Song can be a maximum of 3.5 minutes long. Finalists will be judged on the quality of the song (33%), the quality of the performance (33%) and the crowd reaction (34%). The top two will move to the final round.

Final Round - The top 2 will perform 2 songs each. Songs can be a maximum of 3.5 minutes long. Finalists will be judged on the quality of the song (33%), the quality of the performance (33%) and the crowd reaction (34%). The finalist with the overall higher score will be crowned the winner.